Latest / 2nd City Gridiron / Bears Banter Ep. 234: Dan Bernstein joins!

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Bears Banter Ep. 234: Dan Bernstein joins! · 2nd City Gridiron

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[UNKNOWN]: Thanks for watching!
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[SPEAKER_01]: That's right, fairdown bears fans inside for another edition of the Chicago Bears podcast bears banter power by second city grid iron bill Zimmerman with you And we are back for the first edition so to speak of our off
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[SPEAKER_01]: season podcast series and again, these won't be weekly throughout the off season, but they will be pretty regularly.
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[SPEAKER_01]: We're expecting to have some good guests coming up here in the next few months.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You know we're going to talk free agency, Courtney Cronan scheduled to come on in a couple weeks.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Hopefully, Brad.
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[SPEAKER_01]: bigs will be coming on around free agency.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And of course, we'll do our cast of characters for the draft preview, which will be interesting this year because of course the Chicago Bears are not picking in the top 10, you know, which is something they have consistently been in.
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[SPEAKER_01]: the last six or seven years or thereabouts.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But I'm really excited about the guests today.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's the first time he's been on this podcast.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That's going to be Dan Bernstein.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Of course, long time Chicago, media guy has three, one, two sports has his podcast.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, Dan Bernstein is going to be by in just a little bit plenty to do with Dan about the Chicago Bears about the
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[SPEAKER_01]: also want to get his thoughts on Terry Bores, who of course passed away a couple of weeks ago.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't really know Terry personally.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I knew him, you know, kind of just through people, a little bit, met him a couple times.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I was at the score when I was there.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It was mostly nights and weekends.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It was like earlier in my career.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So it was not, you know, I work with Mad about a colon Jason Gaffelot who were Bores and Bernstein's producers.
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[SPEAKER_01]: and also hosting on nights at weekends.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I work with them a lot.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Didn't work too much with Dan or with Terry.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So, interested to see obviously Dan's going to have a lot of great things to say about Terry.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Want to get some of his thoughts and memories about Terry and of course plenty to get to with the Chicago bear.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So, let's jump in here and let's of course start with the Super Bowl.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Of course that played a handful of days ago.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Seahawks and Patriots.
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[SPEAKER_01]: This game was terrible.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, what was it?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Nothing, whatever it was at the end of the third quarter before offense finally got going, but it was just not a compelling football game.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You never had the idea, except maybe early when it was three nothing or six nothing, that the Patriots were going to be able to get back on track, because the Patriots' offense was a net.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They had 78 yards of offense at the end of the third quarter.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, you have to credit the Seahawks a lot for that performance.
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[SPEAKER_01]: but you also have to look at Drake May, who was terrible.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now May wasn't very good throughout this entire post season.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Took a lot of sacks didn't really look at Chris.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And he looked like a deer in headlights for a lot of that Super Bowl.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And interestingly,
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[SPEAKER_01]: The worst part about May's performance was the errand passes.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That was the thing.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, the Seahawks pressured him.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, the Seahawks sacked him at times.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The Seahawks had the receivers covered very well, but there were opportunities to complete bases and may was off by several yards at times on these.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I am not saying Drake May is a bad quarterback.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I think I had Drake May fifth or six on my quarterback rankings, that I did a couple weeks ago.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not changing that because of one bad game, even though yes, it was on the biggest stage.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Sam Donald didn't look particularly great either, but this Seahawks team is an excellent team, especially the defensive side of the ball.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, I saw some people with DVOA saying, oh, if you look at DVOA, this is, you know, the third or fourth best team in NFL history, I think that is absolutely ridiculous.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I cannot get behind that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like if you're going to look at the 60 champions we've had.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And just look at the Super Bowl era and, you know, for get stuff before the Super Bowl era, that's fine, but in terms of how they dominated teams and everything like I saw K Adams trying to put out something that the seahawks are the best ever the only team to allow like score more than 29 points I think and allow less than 16 points.
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[SPEAKER_01]: or something like that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But literally the Chicago Bears in 85 or at 28.8.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And allow way less points than the Seahawks.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I understand that's a different era.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But like we're cooking the books for the Seahawks.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They are a worthy champion.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They were the best team in the NFL.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I know some of us wanted to make the cake.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, we were clinging to the chiefs.
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[SPEAKER_01]: We were clinging to the Eagles for a while as the best team.
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[SPEAKER_01]: you know, if they were going to ever get going obviously they didn't then it would kind of pivot into the rams.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It was well of the 49ers were healthy, but they weren't healthy.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It took a while for people to warm up to the seahawks.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't think the seahawks would be very good.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Look, I try to admit always when I'm wrong and I was wrong on the seahawks.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That that I didn't like Mike McDonald.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I thought that was a good hire, but I think in some sort of preview article or maybe
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[SPEAKER_01]: I said that the Seahawks downgraded from Gino Smith to Sam Darrell.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But now that is just a beyond stupid comment.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But that's how I felt in August.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think I was alone in that comment either.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Gino is cooked and Darrell is clearly a good quarterback.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe a very good quarterback.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not calling Sam Darrell great.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But that is okay.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He doesn't have to be great when he has that kind of defense.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And things are going to work out well, for the out of the way when the Super Bowl and they should be consistently good.
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[SPEAKER_01]: year over year to be consistently this good.
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[SPEAKER_01]: We'll see because they've got some really good pieces.
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[SPEAKER_01]: on that Seattle defense.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But I do think you can look at it and say this seahawks is a good team, but they are a middle of the road champion.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think they're in all time great.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They're not a team that clawed their way and said they're go really.
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[SPEAKER_01]: This was the champion this year.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like for example, like the 88 49ers, you don't think it's a bad champion.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Because in 89, they went back to back and won 55 to 10 the next year in the Super Bowl.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So you said they're saying, oh, yeah, they barely beat the bangles of, you know, Joe Montana marches them down.
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[SPEAKER_01]: John Taylor's touchdown.
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[SPEAKER_01]: 49ers win, but that was not a good 49ers team.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I think they went 10 and 6 like they just, you know, they got to play the bears and the bears had, you know, no quarterback at the time and Jerry Rice ran ran wild in that game and Bing Bang Boom, even though it was in Soldier Field, the 49ers advance to the Super Bowl.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So, and that's not the only one.
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[SPEAKER_01]: There's plenty of other champions where you said they're like, they were okay, like the, the cults in what was it?
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[SPEAKER_01]: that was that Johnny Unitis was cooked.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He didn't even make it through the game.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like that was not a great Super Bowl champion.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So there's plenty of teams we can say are worse than the C-Ox team.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not knocking the C-Ox team.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I just don't think this was a uniquely special team.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I thought the Seattle C-Ox team, the Legion of Boom team is a better team.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They have a better quarterback.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They have a better running back.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They had solid weapons.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And they, I think the defense was better.
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[SPEAKER_01]: If DVOA says it's not fine, DVO can say that, I'm going to look at it with my eyes.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And my eyes tell me that the Legion of Boom was a better team.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I look at this and say the Seattle Seahawks great season worthy champion, not an all-time great team.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, what I do think is interesting with the Seahawks, if you've got to look at that as like a measuring stick for the Chicago Bears, because now this is the team the beat.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And we have seen the bears compete with the Rams and, you know, just one bad interception in overtime away from beating the Rams.
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[SPEAKER_01]: We've seen them beat the Packers.
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[SPEAKER_01]: We've seen them beat the Eagles.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, we competitive with the 49ers in San Francisco.
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[SPEAKER_01]: We have seen this team play with the best.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And they didn't have to play against Seattle.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They're going to have to do that next
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[SPEAKER_01]: think are still going to be an offensive oriented team.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Seahawks are going to be a defensive oriented team and we'll see when they square off exactly how that's going to look.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to be a fascinating off season for the bears, how they tweaked this roster, got to figure Seattle's going to try and keep the guys they can keep and try and run this thing back next year.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But when will that Seahawks match up be?
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[SPEAKER_01]: I think there's a strong chance this is not information.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not reporting anything.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not even making a rumor that the seahawks and bears are going to be the Thursday night kickoff game for NBC.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now when we look at this and I have the seahawks that I have their nine home opponents up there and I have other people have done this, but I think it's worth talking about right they have nine home opponents.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Of those nine, the Arizona Cardinals New York Giants are on that list.
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[SPEAKER_01]: There's no way they are doing that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And the L.A. Chargers are not a sexy team.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I cannot see them putting the Chargers on that Thursday, 19.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So that eliminates three right there.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Thereup, you look at the Patriots.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You can sit there and say Super Bowl, rematch that would get their juices blown, right?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like I said, that was a bad game.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Does NBC and NFL do they want to put that back out there and back to back?
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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think so.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's a bad look after a bad Super Bowl.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So let's put that one aside.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The Kansas City Chiefs, that one makes a lot of sense, right?
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[SPEAKER_01]: All the chiefs, the recovery, you know, can they bounce back, start them, all this thing with the chiefs, but the chiefs, they have to decide this in May.
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[SPEAKER_01]: they're not going to be certain that Patrick Mohomes is going to be ready to play week one.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And if they don't have Patrick Mohomes out there, I don't have gardener mentioned, I don't who it's going to be quarterbacking the chiefs if it's not Mohomes, that's not what they want.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I don't think they're putting Kansas City.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think they're putting New England.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think they're putting the charges.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think they're putting the Giants.
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[SPEAKER_01]: LA and San Francisco, you said, well, those make a lot of sense, but LA and San Francisco, they've already been talking about, that's going to be a week one or a week zero game.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They're going to play in Australia.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So there's their out.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That leaves two teams, Dallas, and the bears.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Dallas was in it last year, and Dallas just had a losing record.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I can't see them going back to Dallas in back to back years when they've been mediocre.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I think the bears are going to be in the Thursday night kickoff game.
10:42
[SPEAKER_01]: And I will talk about this more about in San Francisco.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The bears were buzzing in San Francisco.
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[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of people wanted to talk about the bears.
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[SPEAKER_01]: NFL realizes that I'll get into this more in a second.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But the NFL,
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[SPEAKER_01]: loves the Chicago Bears.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That's why I think it's funny with who I call the NFL's trying to screw the Bears.
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[SPEAKER_01]: This and that and the other.
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[SPEAKER_01]: No, they don't.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They would love the Chicago Bears to be awesome every year because Chicago in the NFL's mind is the number one football market.
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[SPEAKER_01]: What I mean by that is they're the number three market in America.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But number one is New York and that's split with the giants and the jets.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, there's a lot more giants fans and jet fans, but the jets do have a
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[SPEAKER_01]: not the number one marker because it's split with two teams.
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[SPEAKER_01]: L.A. split with two teams for L.A. is the Lakers town.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They don't really care about the Rams that much.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They like that they're good, but people aren't gravitating to the television to make sure they catch Rams games.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The Bears, they love the Bears.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The Bears are there, you know, they're the charter franchise, still owned by the Hallis family.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now you've got a big time coach.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You've got a big time quarterback.
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[SPEAKER_01]: my words, they are going to be all over the late starts, the three 25 Chicago starts.
12:01
[SPEAKER_01]: They're going to be all over Primetime.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm predicting six games.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The record is seven by the chiefs.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They could do that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think they're going to do it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I think they're going to be in Primetime.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, Primetime to me includes
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[SPEAKER_01]: games like the Black Friday game, Christmas games, Thanksgiving games, even if they are not in prime time.
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[SPEAKER_01]: If they have like the bears playing the lions on, you know, Thanksgiving, that's considered a prime time game as me.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Those national games, I think they're going to be all over the place.
12:32
[SPEAKER_01]: NFL fans might get sick of the Chicago Bears, but they think the Bears are going to be good.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Bears are a big brand.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Bears have some stars.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The Bears are going to be a big theme in 2026 for this schedule release.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Because
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'll tell you what, go and down in San Francisco.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The bears were buzzing.
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[SPEAKER_01]: People wanted to talk about the bears.
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[SPEAKER_01]: People who knew me as a Chicago person like brought it up on, you know, like, hey, the bears, I wish the bears had made it further.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I love watching this team.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They're a lot of fun.
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[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of people like talking about the bears.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They were coming up casually in conversation about a fun team and interesting team.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That kind of stuff.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, that has not happened for years because the bears mostly have sunk.
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[SPEAKER_01]: If I wanted to talk bears with some media people, I had to bring up the bears.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And what do you think of Justin Fields?
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[SPEAKER_01]: What do you think of Mad Ebrifle?
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[SPEAKER_01]: What do you, you know, as Mad Maggie any good?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like these are the questions that I had to ask and get, you know, opinions on that didn't have to happen this year.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I could be a fly on the wall for an interesting conversation about the Chicago Bears because people were talking about the bears a lot more.
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[SPEAKER_01]: in San Francisco at the media center and around San Francisco.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I know, you know, I put out a tweet about that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The Packers fans found it in the court.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Ah, he's lying.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He made it up.
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[SPEAKER_01]: All this stuff in the Packers fans, man.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They are obsessed with the bears right now.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like,
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[SPEAKER_01]: There is, there is some rent-free property in Wisconsin that the Chicago Bear's own, and it's everybody's head.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That's a Packers fan in Wisconsin.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's remarkable.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I didn't tag the Packers.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't mention the Packers.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I just said, hey, NFL me is the bear's interesting, and they freaked out.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You should go go out of my timeline at Bill T. Zimmerman.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You can find the tweet.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's pretty funny.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Find a
14:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to talk about the bears and kind of what's going on and what I heard and say in Francisco, but before we do, let's get into some other things.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The Drake may think about how he performed.
14:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's interesting with Caleb Williams, because that's the one two guys in that draft.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They're always going to be tied together.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Just like Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaver always tied together.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, just like any of these quarterbacks in the same class.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Doesn't matter if they're busts.
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[SPEAKER_01]: or all time greats they get tied together.
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[SPEAKER_01]: People will always compare them.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And with Jayden Daniels is the number three, those three guys especially are always going to be compared.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And yeah, Panics and yeah, Nick's and yet JJ and all this up like there'll be other guys talked about in that class.
15:04
[SPEAKER_01]: But it'll always be about those three quarterbacks at the top.
15:07
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think it's interesting.
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[SPEAKER_01]: We have seen this general like wave of change in opinions.
15:14
[SPEAKER_01]: year ago, everyone, Jane Daniels Jane Daniels.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He's the best quarterback.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Patriots, you know, may looks good, but the Patriots going to take in Daniels, the bear should have taken Daniels, Caleb Williams is the boss.
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[SPEAKER_01]: We heard all the narratives.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Then throughout the season, Jane's getting hurt.
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[SPEAKER_01]: People are starting going on.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Jane may not have the body.
15:31
[SPEAKER_01]: We a lot of us were saying that during the draft process may not have the body to consistently be good at the NFL level.
15:38
[SPEAKER_01]: And it should not be good, not to be healthy at the NFL level.
15:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Because that's the biggest alarm thing I know I've said this on the podcast.
15:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Jaden keeps hurting different things.
15:47
[SPEAKER_01]: It'd be one thing if he had a nagging elbow.
15:49
[SPEAKER_01]: And you're like, well, maybe some surgery or something can fix that.
15:52
[SPEAKER_01]: It'll be okay.
15:53
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's a rib.
15:54
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a knee.
15:55
[SPEAKER_01]: It's an elbow.
15:55
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a shoulder.
15:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, it's constantly something different.
15:59
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's concerning for Daniels.
16:00
[SPEAKER_01]: But throughout the season, May's an MVP candidate.
16:03
[SPEAKER_01]: May should have been the number one pick, may, may, may, may, may.
16:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Then the postseason happens and yes, Caleb made postseason mistakes clearly, you know, there were a couple of interceptions, you know, we don't even get it in all the details, but Caleb also made spectacular plays in the postseason, Drake may had a far more pedestrian performance.
16:22
[SPEAKER_01]: So now you see these polls coming out, who should have been the number one picker the 2020 for draft and Caleb Williams is the top most of those polls.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That's what people think it is swung now back to Caleb Williams.
16:34
[SPEAKER_01]: And I do think Caleb is prime for I don't want to call it a breakout season.
16:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Because I thought he was excellent this past year, but to really take a level up and up his game and push and establish himself as a top 10 quarterback in the league.
16:51
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I'm not saying, you know, we're going to call him a top three top four quarterback.
16:54
[SPEAKER_01]: We're not going to put him with Lamar Buroma homes and Allen yet.
16:57
[SPEAKER_01]: at this point, but he is going to establish himself as a top 10 quarterback.
17:01
[SPEAKER_01]: I firmly believe that.
17:04
[SPEAKER_01]: So before we get into the rumors, I want to talk at the Ian County Ham situation with the falcons.
17:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think I have a very unpopular opinion.
17:14
[SPEAKER_01]: But I am going to talk about it anyway because I think this opinion is worth sharing.
17:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, it sucks that the bears didn't get comp picks for Ian Cunningham.
17:23
[SPEAKER_01]: And it is, if you haven't heard, it is 100% out.
17:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Mike Florio's reported that the NFL said no comp picks for the Chicago Bears.
17:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, weeks ago, we were talking about this when Cunningham was hired.
17:35
[SPEAKER_01]: And I was on Twitter arguing with people and saying they won't get comp picks.
17:38
[SPEAKER_01]: And they're like, this is all speculation.
17:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I said,
17:43
[SPEAKER_01]: will not get complex.
17:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, here's what I'm going to say overall, and this is where the unpopular opinion is going to be.
17:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I said, you should be annoyed.
17:52
[SPEAKER_01]: The bearers didn't get complex.
17:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I am not trying to say this is the way it should be.
17:57
[SPEAKER_01]: This is great.
17:58
[SPEAKER_01]: But I do think the way the NFL has the rule set up is very smart.
18:04
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't think they should change it on behalf of the bearers kind of getting screwed.
18:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I think this is the best way to do it because titles don't matter at the NFL level.
18:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And what I mean by that is the top football guy for the Chicago Bears is the general manager.
18:22
[SPEAKER_01]: But for other clubs, they have a president of football operations.
18:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Now the title might be president of football operations and general manager, but that's the top football guy.
18:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Like the Patriots, for example, the Bengals, for example.
18:36
[SPEAKER_01]: director of player personnel is the top guy in football operations.
18:41
[SPEAKER_01]: So everybody has the same job.
18:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Like for example, if Jeff King right now, I think Jeff King's about to be named the Bears Assistant General Manager, I think when the bears announce their new coaching staff for 2026, I think they will also officially announce that Jeff King,
18:58
[SPEAKER_01]: is going to be the bear's new assistant general manager.
19:01
[SPEAKER_01]: He is currently their director of pro player personnel, and he is going to get that promotion.
19:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, I bring up Jeff King for the idea, like let's say Elliott Wolf quits or gets fired.
19:13
[SPEAKER_01]: The Patriots had a football operations, but he's a director of player personnel.
19:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Same title as Jeff King.
19:21
[SPEAKER_01]: If Jeff, if Elliot Wolf left and Jeff King was hired, and I'm not saying that's gonna happen.
19:26
[SPEAKER_01]: By title, Jeff King has the same job.
19:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Director of Fire Personnel, that's not it at all.
19:32
[SPEAKER_01]: He's gonna go from the number three in the bears to the number one in the Patriots Office.
19:38
[SPEAKER_01]: So how this works, and there are people talking about the paperwork, manners, and this matters, none of it mattered.
19:43
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's when I was trying to stress on Twitter.
19:46
[SPEAKER_01]: This is how this rule works.
19:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Every team in the NFL gives a name to the league office and says, who is your primary football executive?
19:56
[SPEAKER_01]: For the Chicago Bears, it's Ryan Pulse.
20:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Now,
20:01
[SPEAKER_01]: That's it for the topics for the two third round picks.
20:05
[SPEAKER_01]: A team has to hire a new primary football executive.
20:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Doesn't matter if it's general manager, doesn't matter if it's custodial services.
20:16
[SPEAKER_01]: If the name is submitted to the NFL as primary football executive, that's the position that matters.
20:25
[SPEAKER_01]: So if that person leaves
20:31
[SPEAKER_01]: that team that he was previously on gets complex.
20:35
[SPEAKER_01]: That's how it works.
20:36
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that rule is smart because the ambiguousness of titles and everything that goes into it on how every team operates a little differently all gets eliminated.
20:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's very smart.
20:50
[SPEAKER_01]: So for years, for example, I was screaming that Ted Phillips had no business evaluating football operations because he knows nothing about football.
20:59
[SPEAKER_01]: He was an accountant.
21:00
[SPEAKER_01]: He was terrible.
21:01
[SPEAKER_01]: He didn't meet in press conferences.
21:03
[SPEAKER_01]: He knows nothing.
21:03
[SPEAKER_01]: George McCaskey would admit he knows nothing.
21:05
[SPEAKER_01]: And yet they had to evaluate, you know, Phil Emory and Ryan Pace's job performance.
21:10
[SPEAKER_01]: that's a terrible idea.
21:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Now Kevin Warren is not a football guy, but Kevin Warren is far more involved in football operations with his long time, with the Vikings, with his time running the big 10.
21:22
[SPEAKER_01]: He's got a far better grasp of football knowledge than Ted Phillips did.
21:28
[SPEAKER_01]: So, for years, I said the bear should hire President a football operations.
21:34
[SPEAKER_01]: My guy that I always loved was Gary Fensick.
21:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Because I got Gary Fensick, he's a finance guy, made a ton of money after his career.
21:40
[SPEAKER_01]: He's a football guy like he knows.
21:43
[SPEAKER_01]: So like I was like, that's the kind of guy they should hire.
21:46
[SPEAKER_01]: We even heard rumors a few years ago that Trace Armstrong could be hired to be like the President of football operations.
21:52
[SPEAKER_01]: So the GM would have someone to report to.
21:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Now that happened, that person would have been the bear's primary football executive.
22:00
[SPEAKER_01]: So if a person of color was hired to the bear's general manager, like Ryan Polls was, for example, it wouldn't have mattered for the Kansas City Chiefs, but Ryan Polls is the primary football executive, so it does matter.
22:13
[SPEAKER_01]: So the Falcons brought in Matt Ryan because they had rich McKay.
22:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, rich McKay was a football guy.
22:19
[SPEAKER_01]: He was a longtime general manager of the Tampa Bay box.
22:22
[SPEAKER_01]: He comes to the Falcons.
22:23
[SPEAKER_01]: He's their president and CEO.
22:26
[SPEAKER_01]: but he's a football guy, but he wasn't the primary football executive.
22:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, Richmond K got a new job within Arthur Blanks organization.
22:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't remember, he liked the blank, blank, I don't know what, doesn't matter.
22:39
[SPEAKER_01]: McCay got a new thing, they bring in a new president.
22:41
[SPEAKER_01]: That new president is really only a finance type guy, so Blank wants a football guy to look over football operations.
22:49
[SPEAKER_01]: That's where Matt Ryan enters.
22:51
[SPEAKER_01]: So Matt Ryan gets submitted to the league office as the primary football executive because the general manager reports to him.
22:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Now this is definitely a promotion for Ian Cunningham.
23:02
[SPEAKER_01]: He's gonna be running the Atlanta Falcons roster and their team.
23:06
[SPEAKER_01]: It is, he is 100% doing that, but he still reports the Matt Ryan.
23:12
[SPEAKER_01]: So it doesn't matter if Matt Ryan shows up every day and plays Mario Kart.
23:16
[SPEAKER_01]: He's still the primary football executive.
23:19
[SPEAKER_01]: You can sit there and be annoyed with it and I'm not saying you shouldn't.
23:22
[SPEAKER_01]: But I still think overall the way the rule is interpreted and the way it's set up by the League Office, I think makes a lot of sense and I like it.
23:33
[SPEAKER_01]: very unpopular opinion to have in Chicago right now, but that's the way I look at it, because it eliminates all the ambiguity and all the different ways teams operate, and it's just like if you're not the primary football executive, you're not going to get context.
23:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think Arthur blank by the way, I've heard a lot.
23:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, Arthur blank wanted to screw the bears.
23:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Arthur blank wants to win football games.
23:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Arthur blank is on NFL's DEI committee of the owners.
23:59
[SPEAKER_01]: He was part of the reason this rule exists.
24:03
[SPEAKER_01]: He is not putting this rule in place and then purposely trying to screw the bears.
24:07
[SPEAKER_01]: The bears are not getting comp picks from the falcons.
24:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Those comp picks would have been attached at the end of the third round.
24:14
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's not like the falcons are losing picks if they hire E in cutting him.
24:17
[SPEAKER_01]: It didn't matter.
24:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Arthur Blank is not trying to screw through Chicago Bears.
24:22
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just the way he set up his football operations and the bears end up
24:26
[SPEAKER_01]: with the short end of the stick.
24:28
[SPEAKER_01]: So I don't have a problem with it.
24:30
[SPEAKER_01]: and shrunk my shoulders, it's unfortunate.
24:32
[SPEAKER_01]: And for those of you that wanted Ryan Poles to block it because he wasn't getting draft picks, Ian Cunningham is from Atlanta.
24:39
[SPEAKER_01]: He's a Falcons fan growing up.
24:41
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a cool job for him to have.
24:43
[SPEAKER_01]: He's finally getting an opportunity to be a GM.
24:45
[SPEAKER_01]: It would be a real jerk move by Ryan Poles to try and block him.
24:50
[SPEAKER_01]: They've worked together for several years, their friends, that would be a bad move over third run picks.
24:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Can't do that, that is a bad, bad look.
24:57
[SPEAKER_01]: for for them in the league.
24:59
[SPEAKER_01]: So when I look at it, I say it's unfortunate, but I also say I like the rule.
25:04
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that's going to make me very unpopular with you guys as we look at the situation with the context.
25:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Let me get to a
25:12
[SPEAKER_01]: a couple more things here, like I said, the rumors in San Francisco, I think was very popular for the Chicago Bears, very interesting, very positive in every way.
25:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, in terms of the roster, couple things I heard that I thought was interesting.
25:28
[SPEAKER_01]: One of them is DJ Moore.
25:30
[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of people think that DJ Moore, that the Bears do wanna move.
25:33
[SPEAKER_01]: I heard that from multiple people.
25:36
[SPEAKER_01]: But I also heard that the bears have a DJ-more problem because the contract is terrible for DJ-more.
25:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, when I say this, I need you to understand what I am saying.
25:49
[SPEAKER_01]: When I say DJ-more has no trade value, and that's what I was told in San Francisco, that does not mean that DJ-more is a bad football player.
25:58
[SPEAKER_01]: DJ-more is a very good football player.
26:00
[SPEAKER_01]: DJ-more made several huge catches for the Chicago Bears.
26:05
[SPEAKER_01]: I am not saying he's bad.
26:07
[SPEAKER_01]: What that means is that DJ Moore's production is far less than his salary.
26:13
[SPEAKER_01]: The bears cap hit on him right now is about 28 and a half million a year.
26:17
[SPEAKER_01]: I think if he gets traded, it's
26:20
[SPEAKER_01]: 24 million for a new team, and you say to me, like what 24 million is not bad, top receivers are pushing 40 million dollars a year.
26:27
[SPEAKER_01]: But 28 million makes DJ more like that 11th or 12th highest paid wide receiver in the NFL.
26:33
[SPEAKER_01]: And 24 million drops them to like 16 or 17.
26:37
[SPEAKER_01]: And you can sit there and say DJ more as a top 20 wide receiver, and you may believe that.
26:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And then it's fine to have that opinion.
26:42
[SPEAKER_01]: But by production, he is not.
26:45
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a guy that's average a little over 800 yards a season and six touchdowns the last two years.
26:51
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know what we saw in 2023.
26:54
[SPEAKER_01]: DJ and Justin Fields had a connection.
26:56
[SPEAKER_01]: DJ had massive stats.
26:58
[SPEAKER_01]: He was awesome.
27:00
[SPEAKER_01]: But that is not who he's been the last two years.
27:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, a teammate think he could cut back to that, but they don't have to trade for 2023, D.J.
27:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Moore.
27:09
[SPEAKER_01]: They get to trade for 2025, D.J.
27:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Moore.
27:11
[SPEAKER_01]: 2025, D.J.
27:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Moore had what 650 yards or whatever it is.
27:16
[SPEAKER_01]: So the situation with the Chicago Bears is D.J.
27:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Moore's contract is gonna be very hard to move.
27:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't think it was going to be as difficult when I was talking about a month or two months ago that I think D.J.
27:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Moore could get traded this off season, but I didn't think he'd get a lot.
27:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I think I got fifth round pick, something like that.
27:38
[SPEAKER_01]: But I said, a couple people that know this kind of stuff told me that they believe, I'm not saying this is what it is, but they believe if D.J.
27:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Moore is traded, if he wanted those like seventh, six round pick swaps, like their bears would have to just dump him for nothing.
27:54
[SPEAKER_01]: So that puts the bears in a difficult situation because they absolutely need salary cap space.
27:59
[SPEAKER_01]: They have plenty of guys they can restructure and open up salary cap space.
28:03
[SPEAKER_01]: But if you restructure DJ Moore, you convert money into a bonus.
28:07
[SPEAKER_01]: That bonus gets put throughout the body of the contract, right?
28:12
[SPEAKER_01]: It gets spread out.
28:13
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you convert, I think it's 23 million.
28:17
[SPEAKER_01]: DJ Moore salary and I think he's what it sees on the hook for I think another four years.
28:22
[SPEAKER_01]: So let's say you convert 20 million of it to a bonus and you spread that out.
28:26
[SPEAKER_01]: It's five million a year.
28:27
[SPEAKER_01]: But DJ Moore's dead money for the following four years or the following three years after this year, that five million, that 15 million, that still left, that still stays on the books.
28:41
[SPEAKER_01]: So if the bears convert a huge chunk of DJ salary, then they are also saying that they want DJ to stay on this roster.
28:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Not just for next year, because then they're going to get a much bigger cap hit than if they keep them like this.
28:55
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think it's an interesting situation for DJ more, but I do think what it comes down to is, I think the bears are stuck with them.
29:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Now.
29:04
[SPEAKER_01]: That's not a bad thing because as I said, D.J.
29:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Moore is a very talented football player, but at the same time, Luther Burton and Colson Lovin are 100% going to be ahead of him next year, Roma Dunesay, despite missing games, was ahead of him in terms of targets this year.
29:21
[SPEAKER_01]: You cannot really pay your fourth target in an offense, $28 million a year, especially when the bears have to move money around in other places to fix other holes on the roster.
29:33
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not sure what they're going to do.
29:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I think at a minimum, it's a restructure.
29:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sure they're going to want to try and have DJ take a pay cup when they try and restructure this.
29:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think DJ is going to want to.
29:42
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't blame him.
29:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I am not a, you should give back money and be a team player and all this stuff.
29:47
[SPEAKER_01]: If players want to do that, that's fine.
29:49
[SPEAKER_01]: But these guys have every right to go out and try and make every penny.
29:52
[SPEAKER_01]: The bear is offered in this contract.
29:54
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't think DJ Moore should give him a penny back.
29:56
[SPEAKER_01]: because that's how it works in the NFL.
29:59
[SPEAKER_01]: You already have a bunch of unguaranteed money anyway.
30:02
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think the bears, I don't know, I don't think more should give any of that money back.
30:06
[SPEAKER_01]: If they want to restructure it and give DJ a bunch of money now, so as cap hit lowers over the next few years, that's up to Chicago, that maybe what they end up doing, but I do think this is an interesting situation to watch moving forward, because while I thought DJ Moore was gonna get traded,
30:21
[SPEAKER_01]: and based on his salary, he absolutely should.
30:24
[SPEAKER_01]: I just don't know if a team is going to take on that kind of money.
30:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, some can, like the Tennessee Titans, if they say, we'll take DJ more off your hands, we need a target for Cam Ward.
30:37
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, Cam's going to chuck him the ball 15 times, a game, DJ LB thrilled.
30:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Something like that could happen.
30:42
[SPEAKER_01]: I just don't think they're going to get
30:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Much back and when I did ask someone who would know well the bears could eat some of that money converted to a bonus pay him and then trade him and the new team would get a much lower cap it the idea there was that.
30:59
[SPEAKER_01]: the bears would upgrade from like a six round pick to like a fifth or a fourth round pick and no one's eaten like 20 million dollars to try and get a better day three pick.
31:10
[SPEAKER_01]: If that would jump to a second round pick, yes, the bears would absolutely do that.
31:14
[SPEAKER_01]: But that's really not the situation they're in with the DJ more contract.
31:18
[SPEAKER_01]: It's probably still going to be a day three pick.
31:20
[SPEAKER_01]: That's the way I understand it from the people I talked to.
31:23
[SPEAKER_01]: So an interesting situation with DJ more.
31:26
[SPEAKER_01]: The other thing, obviously we got
31:29
[SPEAKER_01]: The defensive situation with the bears from what I have heard the bears are definitely going to change things up on the defense.
31:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I've heard they may try and remove Edwards and Edmunds from the linebacker group try and start over fresh there.
31:55
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think they're going to pay brisk or big dollars.
31:58
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think they have to pay buyered big dollars.
32:00
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, nation right, I didn't hear anything on.
32:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I've heard previously the bears want to keep him, but I also think a probable level season is going to warn a lot of money in the free agent market.
32:12
[SPEAKER_01]: And the bears still have Tyreaks, Stevenson, and still have Jalen Johnson.
32:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Are they going to get rid of Jalen Johnson?
32:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Are they going to say Tyreek Stevenson's no good?
32:20
[SPEAKER_01]: He's now a backup and keep nation on right there.
32:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I don't know how that's going to work.
32:24
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't really hear anything on the secondary, but I did hear that about the line backers.
32:29
[SPEAKER_01]: What I heard is that the belief is the Chicago Bears are going to try and make massive changes and beef up the defensive line.
32:37
[SPEAKER_01]: It doesn't necessarily have to come from the edge.
32:40
[SPEAKER_01]: They may try and get a dominant interior defender as well.
32:43
[SPEAKER_01]: But I do think the bears are going to be looking via the draft, via free agency, and via the trade market to beef up the defensive line.
32:52
[SPEAKER_01]: I've heard
32:52
[SPEAKER_01]: heard Dio Dengbo, they might try and do an injury settlement and get him off the roster.
32:57
[SPEAKER_01]: He's going to not play or be ineffective next year because of this injury.
33:00
[SPEAKER_01]: It's the last year of his guaranteed money.
33:02
[SPEAKER_01]: He's not seeing year three anyway.
33:04
[SPEAKER_01]: So can the bears figure out a way to get some of that money off the roster for him?
33:10
[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to be interesting.
33:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, Grady Jarrett, I don't know.
33:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't really hear much about that, but I did hear that the bears were going to want to pay and, you know, really try and beef up that defensive line that they understand that that is a major weakness, and they're going to approach it like they did offensive line last season.
33:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, the big names out there,
33:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, in terms of tray Hendrickson, I did not hear.
33:36
[SPEAKER_01]: It doesn't mean it's not going to happen.
33:38
[SPEAKER_01]: But I did not hear anyone say the bears are really in on tray Hendrickson.
33:42
[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of people connected the dots, Dennis Allen, tray Hendrickson, both with the saints.
33:46
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's a possibility.
33:47
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm sure if tray Hendrickson is going to be looking for a new team.
33:51
[SPEAKER_01]: He's going to look at the Chicago Bears.
33:52
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sure the Bears are going to look at him.
33:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I know the Bears can pay Montes, sweat, and tray Hendrickson, that kind of money.
33:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Can someone going to be interested in sweat, sweat's
34:02
[SPEAKER_01]: is I wasn't quite what his money was, but a lot closer than what DJ Moore's production was from a wide receiver standpoint.
34:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe they can move sweat.
34:11
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's gonna be interesting.
34:12
[SPEAKER_01]: But the big question was Max Crossbie.
34:14
[SPEAKER_01]: And yes, I did hear that the Chicago Bears are gonna have interest in Max Crossbie.
34:20
[SPEAKER_01]: But before you start doing back flips,
34:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, and this was a joke going on around the media center, like Max Crossby's been tied to 31 teams.
34:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Everybody thinks that everyone's going for Max Crossby.
34:31
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think it's a little too early to get excited, but yes, Max Crossby has been mentioned as a possible bears target.
34:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, the one thing I did here, and this is from a Las Vegas-based person.
34:46
[SPEAKER_01]: that they believe that you can get out of paying second round picks if you pay a player as well to the Raiders.
34:54
[SPEAKER_01]: And that maybe you could get like a first third round pick and a player for Max Crossby.
34:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, there's Las Vegas person said that the player would have to be in a position of need.
35:04
[SPEAKER_01]: And yes, wide receiver is a position of need.
35:07
[SPEAKER_01]: But if you sit there and say, well, DJ Moore could be the player, and I've already told you that DJ Moore's trade value, because of the contract, is like fifth, sixth, seventh round level, mid to late, day, three level.
35:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, then that's not going to impact the trade very much.
35:27
[SPEAKER_01]: You'd be, you know, that's like almost like a throw-in, and to get this, the salary off the roster.
35:32
[SPEAKER_01]: So the name I heard and bears fans are going to be upset that if the Raiders and bears made a deal, Darnell Wright would go to the Raiders, that that's who the Raiders would be looking at to bring to Las Vegas.
35:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And it makes a ton of sense.
35:49
[SPEAKER_01]: If they're going to draft Mendoza, they're offensive lines.
35:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Stinks.
35:52
[SPEAKER_01]: You bring in Darnell Wright.
35:54
[SPEAKER_01]: You get a couple guys.
35:55
[SPEAKER_01]: You beef up that offensive line and suddenly the Raiders' offensive looks functional.
35:59
[SPEAKER_01]: with the bears do that and hurt their offensive line.
36:01
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think so.
36:02
[SPEAKER_01]: So that may put them at a standstill because a lot of people said that they don't expect the bears to pay two first rompix for Max Crosby.
36:10
[SPEAKER_01]: So will the bears end up with Crosby right now the question the answer has to be I don't know because it is way too early and they're just we're not enough.
36:21
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, lines attached at this point.
36:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Think we'll hear more at the combine.
36:25
[SPEAKER_01]: It'll be interesting about the Crosby rumors coming out at the combine.
36:31
[SPEAKER_01]: I think we've probably covered enough.
36:33
[SPEAKER_01]: I think we want to get to Dan Bernstein.
36:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I could go on more about the stadium.
36:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think I have that much interesting stuff to be at the stadium.
36:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd rather hear what Dan Bernstein has to say.
36:42
[SPEAKER_01]: The one thing I'm going to say to finish this monologue before we get to Dan, coach of the year for the NFL.
36:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Ben Johnson didn't win and based on the records of the Jaguars, based on the Patriots, he shouldn't have won.
36:55
[SPEAKER_01]: That's fine.
36:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Kyle Shanahan, what he did with the 49ers with the injuries was incredible.
37:00
[SPEAKER_01]: But Ben Johnson got one vote.
37:02
[SPEAKER_01]: And here's what I'm going to say.
37:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Dan Pompey has been on second city grid.
37:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think I've ever had him on this podcast, but he was a part of the 85 at 40.
37:12
[SPEAKER_01]: We did interview Dan Pompey for that podcast.
37:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Adam Rank has been on this podcast.
37:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Adam is a very nice guy.
37:20
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, nice guy to hang out with.
37:22
[SPEAKER_01]: I like Adam.
37:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Adam and Dan both coming out and saying, they're the guy that voted for Ben Johnson, that guy's why are we lying?
37:30
[SPEAKER_01]: What one of you is lying?
37:32
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm guessing one of you is telling the truth, but one of you is lying.
37:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not gonna speculate who's lying, but I think it's ridiculous that one of you did.
37:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, I don't get it, but, you know, it's really okay.
37:44
[SPEAKER_01]: You don't have to come out and say, you voted for Ben Johnson if you didn't.
37:47
[SPEAKER_01]: It's okay, Bears fans will be okay with it.
37:49
[SPEAKER_01]: I think everybody understands that Ben Johnson wasn't gonna win a coach of the year after the Bears lost the last two games, the regular season.
37:57
[SPEAKER_01]: It's okay guys, we don't need to do this.
38:00
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, Dan Bernstein joins me next.
38:03
[SPEAKER_01]: This is Bill Zimmerman, Bears Banner, we'll be right back.
38:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome back into the podcast.
38:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm really excited to do this guest as you guys know if you're long listeners of this podcast.
38:14
[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of Chicago media comes on this throughout the year.
38:16
[SPEAKER_01]: But this gentleman we've never had on.
38:18
[SPEAKER_01]: He is a Chicago sports media legend.
38:22
[SPEAKER_01]: He is Dan Bernstein.
38:23
[SPEAKER_01]: You can check him out at 312 sports, both podcast form.
38:26
[SPEAKER_01]: And on the YouTube age, Bernstein unfiltered forward progress.
38:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Of course, the bulls won.
38:33
[SPEAKER_01]: When organizations win championship.
38:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Sorry brain cramp there, but Dan Bernstein joins me now.
38:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Dan Bill Zimmerman.
38:39
[SPEAKER_01]: How are you?
38:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Good.
38:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm doing very well.
38:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Appreciate you jumping on a lot of football.
38:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to get to, but I would be remiss if I didn't start here.
38:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And that is of course the passing of the great Terry Bores.
38:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I've been a long time list of Chicago media.
38:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember Terry with with the heavy fuel crew before Bores and Bernstein.
38:57
[SPEAKER_01]: And of course, you guys and
39:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, about what 15, 18 years that you guys did the show together, it was the greatest show in Chicago radio history.
39:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think anyone can argue that every the chemistry you guys had the segments you did, who you crap and it was a great show.
39:17
[SPEAKER_01]: So I just want to ask obviously you knew him so well, what what are your memories of Terry.
39:22
[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks, they're almost obviously too numerous to mention.
39:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that in the aftermath of his death, I think so many people have pointed out just his kindness,
39:39
[SPEAKER_00]: self-confidence in who he was, his giant heart, his immense sense of humor, and his lack of tolerance for fools and foolishness, and injustice, and knowing how to point that out, I think importantly, a lesson we can learn.
40:00
[SPEAKER_00]: is when he once said to me, it even more than once, he would say to me, he said, you know, it's funny, we say the same things, but nobody beats me up over it.
40:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Everyone wants to kill you, everyone wants to hammer you, he said, but nobody, nobody bugs me even though I say the same stuff you said, they all hate you.
40:21
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think his ability to
40:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Tell people the truth, while still making them laugh, his ability to tell people the truth, while never making himself into a villain was just a really special and remarkable talent in this day and age.
40:38
[SPEAKER_01]: It really was, and I worked at the score about 20 years ago, now I was mostly nights and weekends.
40:45
[SPEAKER_01]: So I was working with Matt and Jason when they were hosting a lot more than I was working with you and Terry.
40:51
[SPEAKER_01]: But when I was there, I was just some 20 something part-time producer.
40:54
[SPEAKER_01]: But when I was there, if Terry was there, it was just like, he didn't
40:59
[SPEAKER_01]: care who you were.
41:00
[SPEAKER_01]: You were part of the score family.
41:02
[SPEAKER_01]: He made you feel welcome.
41:04
[SPEAKER_01]: He didn't know me from Adam.
41:05
[SPEAKER_01]: It was just I feel like his personality and who he was was was was a big core factor in what what that community was for for the people who worked at the score.
41:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think that I'm probably a little too close to it.
41:19
[SPEAKER_00]: You probably have a better understanding of that than I do.
41:22
[SPEAKER_00]: If you want to go through all of all of the interns that we had and everyone, I mean, Terry made choices to make his life easier by just not lying to anybody and being nice to everyone.
41:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And it made things less complicated for him.
41:42
[SPEAKER_00]: It's another great lesson.
41:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it really, really a great person and someone who's truly, truly going to be missed.
41:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Not by the people, but that knew him, but the people who listen to him as well.
41:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, would would love to, you know, uh, get some of your thoughts here on on football and all and and obviously Super Bowl played less than a week ago would love to get your thoughts there, but kind of from a bear's perspective, uh, on two things.
42:08
[SPEAKER_01]: One where the bears are compared to the Seattle Seahawks.
42:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Obviously that's the measuring stick they are the champions.
42:14
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think obviously that defense is great, but I think the bears with some intelligent moves with Caleb Williams ceiling compared to who Sam Donald isn't Sam's an American success story, but that there is a limited ceiling there.
42:27
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think there's much more growth for Sam personally.
42:30
[SPEAKER_01]: How do you feel that this bears team from what you saw this Seattle Seahawks team do throughout the postseason can compete with Seattle and the other elite teams in the end of
42:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to overrate or I don't want to make sure that we properly looking at Seattle's performance.
42:47
[SPEAKER_00]: They were terrific.
42:48
[SPEAKER_00]: They were the best team this year.
42:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Every season is its own entity.
42:55
[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't presume Seattle will be as good as they are.
43:00
[SPEAKER_00]: next year is there this year.
43:02
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just very, very unlikely for a lot of reasons.
43:05
[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't think the bears have a whole lot of improvement to do.
43:10
[SPEAKER_00]: My first thought after watching that Super Bowl was bears could have won that Super Bowl.
43:14
[SPEAKER_00]: They probably wouldn't have.
43:15
[SPEAKER_00]: They probably would lose to Seattle.
43:16
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think if they played 10 times, Seattle would probably win eight.
43:21
[SPEAKER_00]: But there's nothing to say that that Super Bowl couldn't have been one of the two.
43:25
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's really how I look at it.
43:27
[SPEAKER_00]: The bears were good enough last year to have won the Super Bowl.
43:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Now next year, it's going to be a different year.
43:32
[SPEAKER_00]: There's going to be different injuries.
43:34
[SPEAKER_00]: There's going to be different quarterbacks emerging.
43:37
[SPEAKER_00]: But they can score.
43:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's simply a matter of generating a pass rush and figuring out what they're doing with their defensive backfield.
43:46
[SPEAKER_00]: There's no way the bears are going to have their take away ratio, the turnover ratio, next year that they had this year.
43:54
[SPEAKER_00]: And that was one of the reasons we wanted them to take advantage of everything that was breaking their way.
43:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And things did break their way with the quarterbacks they were facing.
44:01
[SPEAKER_00]: They do have a difficult schedule, but they have the quarterback and they have the coach.
44:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Their record may not be as good next year even if they are a better team.
44:11
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you're saying directly to the Seahawks standard, yeah, I don't really think it's all that much.
44:16
[SPEAKER_00]: If they're going to score the way they're going to score, I think they just have to be good enough defensively.
44:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I completely agree with that.
44:24
[SPEAKER_01]: And one other kind of Super Bowl adjacent question.
44:27
[SPEAKER_01]: And that is the 2024 draft class with a course Drake may really struggling.
44:31
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm not saying Seattle didn't make life difficult for him but he had a lot of parent passes in that game.
44:38
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think a year ago, if you asked the masses in the media or in the league or fans,
44:44
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, who is the best quarterback from the 2024?
44:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Everyone would have said Jane Daniels.
44:49
[SPEAKER_01]: I think September to December, everyone would have said Drake may.
44:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And I've seen some polls and some conversation now that seems pretty comfortably that people think Caleb Williams is the best quarterback out of that, about of that whole class, but really out of that trio.
45:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Where are you with Caleb?
45:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, what is your confidence level in him and, you know, what kind of growth did you see
45:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I saw a better understanding of how to play the position through Ben Johnson's eyes because that is ultimately what he is being asked to do is to see the game as his coach sees the game.
45:28
[SPEAKER_00]: I think everything you just said about people were saying this about that guy and people were saying this about that guy is every reason to not listen to short-term trends.
45:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Because most of it, statistically, is just noise.
45:42
[SPEAKER_00]: And you prove that.
45:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Then over three years, we're going to find out the quality of quarterbacks.
45:46
[SPEAKER_00]: And everything you say about Sam Darnold and where he's come from is yet another lesson to not look at small sample sizes, to have our opinions over a game or a quarter, but always understand where that is in the larger context of development at the most difficult and important individual position and sports.
46:05
[SPEAKER_00]: When you're talking about Jaden Daniels and how that specifically relates to Caleb Williams, look no further than the change they've made at Offensive Coordinator.
46:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Cliff King's Berry is out in Washington and a former Bears opponent recently, David Blow, they forward to right back up is in and the reason being given is playing under center.
46:25
[SPEAKER_00]: that Washington made their offense easier for Jaden Daniels on the pro level by playing essentially his college offense.
46:33
[SPEAKER_00]: So it shouldn't surprise anyone that he was able to
46:36
[SPEAKER_00]: pick up the NFL in the way that he did because they were making it easy for him.
46:41
[SPEAKER_00]: They dumbed it down for him.
46:43
[SPEAKER_00]: And I know that's a loaded term, but they simplified their offense to allow him to operate from the shotgun.
46:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Offences that operate from under center are more successful because of what you can do with runfakes, because of how you can move safety and linebackers.
46:56
[SPEAKER_00]: They know they need to do that now, and Ben Johnson didn't skip any steps.
47:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Ben Johnson, the moment he got his hands on Caleb Williams said, you're going to operate more from under center.
47:06
[SPEAKER_00]: You've got to learn how to turn your back to the defense.
47:08
[SPEAKER_00]: You've got to learn how to snap shot things.
47:10
[SPEAKER_00]: You've got to learn the purpose and meaning of all of the fakes and the motions that we're going to use.
47:16
[SPEAKER_00]: And it takes longer for that to work.
47:19
[SPEAKER_00]: And we started to see that more near the end of the year.
47:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and that under center concept is so important.
47:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't remember who was it.
47:26
[SPEAKER_01]: It might have been Warren Sharp, but I saw something within the last few days that of teams that had the most offensive snaps under center.
47:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Eight out of the ten, top were playoff teams.
47:35
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think 12 out of the top 18 were playoff teams.
47:38
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's basically, yeah, if you're not under center, you're not winning.
47:40
[SPEAKER_00]: You can't execute a real run fake in the shotgun.
47:43
[SPEAKER_00]: That's all it comes on to.
47:45
[SPEAKER_00]: It is something as simple as that.
47:46
[SPEAKER_00]: You cannot truly affect linebackers and safety's by simply pretending to hand the ball to somebody out of the shotgun.
47:54
[SPEAKER_00]: There has to be that turning of the back.
47:57
[SPEAKER_00]: There has to be that kind of full offensive movement, the timing, the choreography of everything from under center, based on where the line is going, based on everything you've laid out in protections, makes all the difference in the world.
48:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, 100%.
48:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to ask you about the stadium, and I want to ask you about the Ian cutting him compics thing, but while we're talking about the team, let me ask you a little bit about this offseason, you know, in terms of what the bears need to do.
48:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Offensively, I think, obviously, they've got a few things to figure out, obviously, left tackle with the trip.
48:27
[SPEAKER_01]: pillow injury and exactly how they're going to restructure and work things on the offense, but I want to ask you about DJ more.
48:33
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think he's been the hot button topic especially after the interception.
48:37
[SPEAKER_01]: And over time, a lot of people want to talk about maybe he wasn't running full effort, miscommunication we've heard.
48:43
[SPEAKER_01]: We know all the things that have been going on there.
48:45
[SPEAKER_01]: But he's also the same guy that had critical big-time catches for this Chicago Bears team.
48:51
[SPEAKER_01]: But I'm assuming Loveland, I'm assuming Burton, and I'm assuming Odunsey are going to end up with more targets than him next year.
48:57
[SPEAKER_01]: The direction this offense is going.
48:59
[SPEAKER_01]: And I also think it's a situation where you really can't have a $28 million cap hit for your fourth offense of target.
49:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Where are you with DJ?
49:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, the numbers are the numbers, and you're not going to be able to cut him.
49:11
[SPEAKER_00]: You might be able to trade him.
49:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know who is going to want that.
49:14
[SPEAKER_00]: But it would be prohibitive at the moment to cut him.
49:19
[SPEAKER_00]: So, correct.
49:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Unless somebody is going to make you an offer that, at the moment, I'm presuming he's going to be on the team.
49:26
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think this may just be taking the bitter with the sweet that he is, he is exactly what you say.
49:33
[SPEAKER_00]: that I think DJ Moore can be a star, and he can be a guy who you can count on to make huge plays at huge times, and he's gonna drift on you every once in a while.
49:44
[SPEAKER_00]: There's gonna be some inexplicable moments, but if that is just part of what you're getting on balance, he's still,
49:53
[SPEAKER_00]: more of a positive than a negative, and if that's the kind of problem you're sorting through here, that you're probably in a good place.
50:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I would say though, Luther Burton, if he isn't a star already, he's going to be, and I don't think there's any question that there are going to be more touches, there's going to be more snaps, and as long as he proves that he can block.
50:16
[SPEAKER_00]: As long as he proves that he is aware and that he can execute his blocking assignments, he has every opportunity to be a national-level breakout player next year.
50:28
[SPEAKER_01]: He really does.
50:29
[SPEAKER_01]: How would you handle the left tackle situation assuming Trepello isn't ready for most or all of the season?
50:36
[SPEAKER_01]: But knowing he may be back and you don't want to make a big investment there.
50:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, as of right now, it's either Braxton Jones or its field,
50:46
[SPEAKER_00]: on Braxton Jones.
50:47
[SPEAKER_00]: All of the rankings have him as a top five available tackle, and yet the bears don't like him.
50:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And they had a terrible competition over there.
50:56
[SPEAKER_00]: Nobody really won that they ended up defaulting into.
50:59
[SPEAKER_00]: The fact that they had to move Jotuni out there for a critical game just shows you how significant the the past blocking at a minimum is out there.
51:08
[SPEAKER_00]: And especially watching how will Campbell melt it down in the Super Bowl is
51:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, I don't know if that guy's on the roster right now.
51:18
[SPEAKER_00]: I will tell you about Trapillo.
51:20
[SPEAKER_00]: That is a bad injury.
51:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
51:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Man, that big.
51:23
[SPEAKER_00]: A ruptured Patella tendon with a kind of stress that a body like that puts on it.
51:30
[SPEAKER_00]: There is no guarantee that he's ever going to be an effective NFL player that he's ever going to be the same.
51:36
[SPEAKER_00]: it is potentially a career trajectory altering injury, so I'm not thinking about him at all.
51:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if the bears starting tackle left tackle for next year is here yet and it remains possible until I'm told otherwise, considering what they're going to have to pay Darnel right.
51:56
[SPEAKER_00]: That even though this was another thing that they tried, Darnel right is potentially an elite
52:04
[SPEAKER_00]: would they want him to be something less than that and just be good at left and plug somebody else in at right.
52:12
[SPEAKER_00]: We will see with some of the moves that they make.
52:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, I heard this from one person that maybe they would consider with the idea of bumping tuning out there for the whole year.
52:22
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't love it, but it could, it's a lot easier to find a guard than it is a test.
52:26
[SPEAKER_00]: No, I'm not doing that.
52:27
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not bumping tuning out there for the whole year and that would be a huge ask.
52:30
[SPEAKER_00]: of him at his age at this stage of his career.
52:34
[SPEAKER_00]: The guy just won protector of the year at left of the best individual offensive lineman, the inaugural award.
52:42
[SPEAKER_00]: And the general rule of thumb in the NFL is don't change two positions when you can change one.
52:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
52:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's move over to the defensive side of the ball.
52:51
[SPEAKER_01]: What would your approach be here?
52:52
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, they've got an interesting situation here.
52:56
[SPEAKER_01]: They've got a dang bow making money and who knows if you can get anything from him next year.
53:00
[SPEAKER_01]: You didn't get anything really from him this year.
53:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Grady Jarrett contract didn't work out for made.
53:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Edmunds is cutable.
53:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Briskers of free agent, buyers of free agent, they could really change the face of this defense a lot if they choose to.
53:13
[SPEAKER_01]: How would you approach this defensive side of the ball?
53:15
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to know about a couple injuries before I even dive in there.
53:18
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to know if TJ Edwards is coming back looking like his old self because that sounded bad when they were describing the broken foot and which Jalen Johnson is this because if this is late season post to injury Jalen Johnson, you've got to think about cutting him.
53:36
[SPEAKER_00]: That that also is a cap number where there is a spread in between the cap savings and the dead cap number of I want to say around five million dollars if he's what he was at the end of the year you have a difficult time playing him
53:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And I've got to know that he is coming back much closer to what we had seen pre-injuries plural.
53:59
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the first thing.
54:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to wait to see what the market looks like for Nishan Wright.
54:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to let somebody else probably set that market because I think he's probably going to get overpaid for what he is.
54:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I wouldn't if he wants to come back.
54:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I wouldn't mind bringing him back.
54:13
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think last year was a likely outlier year for him.
54:17
[SPEAKER_00]: And between Byrd and Brisker, generally you'd sign the younger player, but Byrd overperformed for someone his age, he was one of the best in the league at his position.
54:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you pay an older guy in what might be a year of decline?
54:34
[SPEAKER_00]: There's risk there, but God, I got to improve that front-four.
54:37
[SPEAKER_00]: I have to find.
54:39
[SPEAKER_00]: If I can't find a number one pass-wester, which they do not have, I look at Montez sweat as a two.
54:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I think he's good, but I don't think he's somebody you immediately have to game plan around because you're worried about him wrecking the game.
54:53
[SPEAKER_00]: I would love for him to be in that position where he isn't facing every double team every time.
55:00
[SPEAKER_00]: And that help can come from the interior or the edge.
55:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I got to ask you the two popular edge guys that every bear's fan has been talking about, is Trey Hendrickson, who, now we're hearing a rumble of maybe the Bengals of franchise tag them with the idea of trading him so they can get some sort of trade.
55:14
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I don't think it's going to be toned, but second, third, run pick maybe to get Trey Hendrickson.
55:19
[SPEAKER_01]: And then of course, Max Crosby, which the, you know, it's a prohibitive cost.
55:24
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if the bear's to be willing to pay it, but obviously in a lead talent there as well, would you like to see the bear's try and make a big splash for someone like Crosby or Hendrickson?
55:33
[SPEAKER_00]: I generally would rather not.
55:36
[SPEAKER_00]: I just, I don't like spending money and guys in, in their thirties, you know, or, or mortgaging the critical future of draft picks for somebody who could twist his ankle in the second week and be out the remainder of the year.
55:51
[SPEAKER_00]: I would much rather they,
55:54
[SPEAKER_00]: build if if they think Austin Booker is a full-time player, you've got to love the the height weight speed numbers on him.
56:03
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to hope that he is ascending and you mentioned that they've already paid Odenbo.
56:08
[SPEAKER_00]: It may just be the value that you're going to get is a tackle and not as one of those popular big name edge guys.
56:18
[SPEAKER_00]: That sounds like a big ticket and I don't
56:24
[SPEAKER_00]: All right.
56:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, speaking of draft fixed being valuable, let me ask you about the Ian Cunningham situation because I mean, this has been a hot button topic across social media for weeks about the draft compensation.
56:39
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think Arthur Blank was out to screw the bears.
56:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Arthur Blank's on the DEI committee.
56:42
[SPEAKER_01]: He's one of the guys behind this compensation rule.
56:45
[SPEAKER_01]: So I don't think there's any nefarious play there.
56:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I actually like the way the rule is set up that, you know, there's a primary football executive so you don't get titles in the way because sometimes it's a president of football operation.
56:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes it's a GM.
56:58
[SPEAKER_01]: The Patriots, it's director of player personnel.
57:01
[SPEAKER_01]: So titles don't really matter.
57:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I think this is a way to make it straightforward.
57:05
[SPEAKER_01]: I know that's an unpopular opinion.
57:07
[SPEAKER_01]: The Baris gets screwed.
57:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, the Baris got screwed.
57:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Because Ian Cunningham is that team's general manager.
57:11
[SPEAKER_01]: He definitely got promoted from where he was in Chicago.
57:15
[SPEAKER_01]: But at the same time, I do think the NFL rule is better than it is bad.
57:19
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's an unfortunate situation for the Baris.
57:21
[SPEAKER_01]: What do you think?
57:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I would love for them to be able to say, hey, I know you looked at this now and have ruled on this now, but especially based on the ensuing comments that were made by Matt Ryan, saying, I don't really know about this.
57:36
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't really know about that.
57:37
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, he's running all the football stuff.
57:40
[SPEAKER_00]: At least be able to go to the NFL and say, hey, let's give it a year.
57:45
[SPEAKER_00]: And then tell me, by the way, they actually work and what we know, then decide where instead of ruling right now, instead of saying yes, no, and that's it, give it a chance to play out and then say, who really is the football decision maker.
58:01
[SPEAKER_00]: And they can't do that.
58:03
[SPEAKER_00]: But I would like to have more time for them to have evidence of who is, because I'm pretty sure that for the most part, at least this year, it's going to be E.N.
58:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if there's a way to split the baby and say, well, we're not sure we're going to give you one third round pick instead of two.
58:21
[SPEAKER_00]: I would love it if it isn't necessarily binary that there is a way of being fair about the value you should receive for what we both agree as an obvious promotion.
58:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it's it's it's it's very straightforward.
58:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I agree with you there.
58:36
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just yeah.
58:36
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just a weird situation and unfortunate one for the bears.
58:39
[SPEAKER_01]: I know we've just got a couple minutes left.
58:41
[SPEAKER_01]: So I want to make sure I ask you about the stadium because I think you're one of the guys that really kind of understands, you know, how these things work and what goes into this and, you know, for me, you know, I want a retractable roof stadium on the lake front in Chicago where the bears can still play in the elements, but they can close it up and have super bowls and final force.
59:01
[SPEAKER_01]: That's not on the table.
59:02
[SPEAKER_01]: So, I know it's our LinkedIn Heights.
59:04
[SPEAKER_01]: This Indiana thing's been wild.
59:05
[SPEAKER_01]: They seem to be trying to give the bears an offer.
59:07
[SPEAKER_01]: They can't refuse, but now we're starting to see a surge back to our LinkedIn Heights.
59:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Where have you been kind of throughout this entire process and where do you think this ends up?
59:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I've been in a couple positions.
59:18
[SPEAKER_00]: One, as a fan, I don't care.
59:21
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't care where they are.
59:22
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not, I don't go to games.
59:23
[SPEAKER_00]: To me, a stadium is a giant television studio.
59:27
[SPEAKER_00]: And you can, I don't care where your television studio is.
59:29
[SPEAKER_00]: And you can put it, you can put it in Wisconsin.
59:32
[SPEAKER_00]: You can play, and it still calm the Chicago Bears.
59:35
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm still going to be a fan of the Chicago Bears.
59:37
[SPEAKER_00]: It makes no never mind to me.
59:39
[SPEAKER_00]: I like watching football that's played indoors, more than football that's played outdoors.
59:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's more fair to the great athletes.
59:47
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't need snow games, I don't need the novelty to me that's like playing basketball outside and it doesn't make any sense.
59:54
[SPEAKER_00]: So a dome at least a retractable at the very least would be important to me.
59:59
[SPEAKER_00]: But I'm thinking more as a taxpayer.
1:00:01
[SPEAKER_00]: And as a taxpayer, I'm not here all of these stadium deals that involve public money or bad for the taxpayer, period paragraph, everything else is a lie, all the data is a lie, everything else is commissioned by so-called economic consultants and it's always bullshit.
1:00:19
[SPEAKER_00]: The state's government's taxpayers should not be in the business of building stadiums for billionaires to make the billionaires richer.
1:00:30
[SPEAKER_00]: And the billionaires would love to socialize the cost and privatize the profits.
1:00:36
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is how it has worked.
1:00:38
[SPEAKER_00]: It should never have worked this way, but that's where we live with other governments deciding that rather than help people, they want to help billionaires.
1:00:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I have nothing to do with that.
1:00:50
[SPEAKER_00]: If Illinois says, we can build some roads that make people's lives easier as part of this.
1:00:55
[SPEAKER_00]: That's fine.
1:00:56
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what government's supposed to do.
1:00:57
[SPEAKER_00]: You want to help with infrastructure.
1:00:58
[SPEAKER_00]: You want exit ramps, stop lights, whatever else you need to improve people's lives around there.
1:01:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Go ahead and do it.
1:01:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Do not pad the pockets of billionaires under the name of
1:01:10
[SPEAKER_00]: of some football team.
1:01:12
[SPEAKER_00]: It's silly.
1:01:13
[SPEAKER_01]: I agree with that.
1:01:14
[SPEAKER_01]: 100 percent.
1:01:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, there he is.
1:01:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Dan Bernstein 312 sports.
1:01:17
[SPEAKER_01]: You can check out all the podcasts there.
1:01:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Bernstein unfiltered forward progress and organizations when championships, dance thoughts on and general and on the bears and of course on the bulls.
1:01:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Dan, thanks for so much time.
1:01:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Really enjoy that conversation with you and best of luck in the future.
1:01:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks for having me, Bill.
1:01:33
[SPEAKER_01]: All right there.
1:01:35
[SPEAKER_01]: He is Dan Bernstein.
1:01:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Everybody first time he was on this podcast.
1:01:39
[SPEAKER_01]: I enjoyed that conversation.
1:01:40
[SPEAKER_01]: He had a lot of interesting things to say.
1:01:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, he's not everything.
1:01:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I agree with, but that's okay.
1:01:45
[SPEAKER_01]: That's why we provide you with multiple opinions on here, but you know, Dan's a very smart guy.
1:01:51
[SPEAKER_01]: And he's usually right a lot more often than he's wrong.
1:01:54
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think a very interesting conversation there.
1:01:58
[SPEAKER_01]: So let's wrap it up with the mail bag and let's get out of here.
1:02:03
[SPEAKER_01]: And we'll see you again probably in a couple of weeks because I'm going on vacation next week.
1:02:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's start with Jason Black.
1:02:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Hi Bill, is it impossible to get out of the Dio and Grady contracts?
1:02:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Do we just have to suck it up with those?
1:02:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Actually, Jason, I think the bears can get out of those if they want.
1:02:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I have heard the bears are going to try and do some kind of injury settlement with Odengbo because he may not be able to play much or if at all this year.
1:02:29
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think the bottom line there is I think they're going to try and get out of Odengbo because I think they can basically say you're you're not going to see your free of this contract, you know, and can they come up with some kind of settlement when maybe he doesn't see all
1:02:41
[SPEAKER_01]: all the money, but, you know, he sees a good chunk of it and they can send them on his way.
1:02:46
[SPEAKER_01]: So I've heard they're gonna try and do that with Odenbo, the Jared thing is interesting because yeah, if they cut him, it is a massive, massive cap hit, but.
1:02:56
[SPEAKER_01]: if they trade him, the cap head isn't bad.
1:03:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I think it's if they trade greedy Jarrett, I think the salary for the incoming team is 10 million.
1:03:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Now a team with a veteran with Jarrett's background, 10 million a year is not a bad contract for greedy Jarrett.
1:03:13
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think the bear's would have 8 million dead.
1:03:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And then I think if they do, if they post June 1st, the trade, then at 8 million spreads out to four and four, I believe over the next two years.
1:03:22
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not great with salary, where's Brad Spielberg or what you need him.
1:03:25
[SPEAKER_01]: But that's how the way I understand Jared.
1:03:27
[SPEAKER_01]: So if they can find a trade partner for Jared, they've got a Jared.
1:03:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I've heard they're going to try and do an injury settlement with a dango will see if that happens.
1:03:35
[SPEAKER_01]: So I do think Jason, there's a chance one or both of those guys will not be on the roster next year, but the bears may sit there and say we think Grady Jarrett as a veteran leader, we think he's going to bounce back.
1:03:46
[SPEAKER_01]: He was hurt a lot last year in plans or injuries.
1:03:48
[SPEAKER_01]: We think Grady Jarrett's going to have a better 20, 26.
1:03:51
[SPEAKER_01]: They may keep him.
1:03:52
[SPEAKER_01]: We will have to see.
1:03:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Adam all good.
1:03:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Adam all good.
1:03:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Can Paul sit out and let Ben do it again.
1:03:58
[SPEAKER_01]: He's talking about the
1:04:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Trust me, Adam.
1:04:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Ben John, if Ben Johnson doesn't want a player or if Dennis Allen doesn't want a player, they're not coming here.
1:04:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Ryan Pulse is going to work with them.
1:04:11
[SPEAKER_01]: And like I said, I don't know, you know, the split of the pie, you know, if it's 5149 or if it's 7030, but this is Ben Johnson's Chicago Bears organization from football operations.
1:04:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Even if it isn't
1:04:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Other than DL, what are their needs right now in your opinion?
1:04:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Do they splurge this off season to get them over the hump?
1:04:35
[SPEAKER_01]: So, they can't splurge, per se, because yes, they can free up a lot of cap space and they can make some free agents signings.
1:04:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I do think they're gonna try and get an impact defender because I think they think that's missing.
1:04:49
[SPEAKER_01]: And you just don't know how good Jalen Johnson's gonna be at this point.
1:04:52
[SPEAKER_01]: I think, well, I'm not saying Jalen Johnson's terrible, but can Jalen Johnson be a top five corner in the league still?
1:04:58
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's a fair question.
1:04:59
[SPEAKER_01]: This guy who's been banged up a decent amount,
1:05:01
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, it comes we knew that with the shoulder issues he had in college that this is a guy probably was kind of have a shorter career and probably was going to fall off by the time he's 30 now he Battle to get back and he was not himself towards the end of the post season and he may be closer to itself this year.
1:05:18
[SPEAKER_01]: He may not be so I don't think you can rely on Jalen Johnson to be that shutdown corner of good corner.
1:05:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Sure, but I don't think you can rely on we had a shutdown corner like I said before.
1:05:27
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the bears are going to invest a lot of money into this defensive line
1:05:31
[SPEAKER_01]: So I do think the bears are going to do that.
1:05:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, what are their needs?
1:05:34
[SPEAKER_01]: They need to decide left tackle.
1:05:36
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think they're going to try and do that on the cheap.
1:05:38
[SPEAKER_01]: They need to decide if swift as their guy at running back or if they're going to tweak things there.
1:05:42
[SPEAKER_01]: They need to decide they're going to keep DJ more around.
1:05:46
[SPEAKER_01]: That's what they need to decide on offense.
1:05:49
[SPEAKER_01]: And Pete, while technically, linebacker isn't to need, I think it's going to become a need because I don't think they want to spend that kind of money at linebacker that you can bring to Marco Jackson back as your second linebacker, assuming your base is nickel, you know, maybe, you know, Ruben Hippolyte can be your Sam, your third linebacker at that point next year.
1:06:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, I told you in the draft, you know, 10 months ago, didn't love the Hippolyte thing.
1:06:15
[SPEAKER_01]: But, you know, I think you're going to see some change of linebacker.
1:06:19
[SPEAKER_01]: I wouldn't be surprised to see a new safety as well.
1:06:21
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they keep biored, but I just, I question if they're going to keep Jekwann Brisker.
1:06:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, susnik.
1:06:29
[SPEAKER_01]: What are you hearing about the consensus is on trade, Hendrickson, league is focused on cross, but there's a Dennis Allen tie in the Bears would not cost draft capital to acquire.
1:06:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I said at the beginning, haven't heard anything officially that the Bears are in on Hendrickson just a lot of people connecting the dots with Dennis Allen like you did as well.
1:06:47
[SPEAKER_01]: I think there's absolutely a possibility where tray Hendricks in is a part of this team next season.
1:06:54
[SPEAKER_01]: But what are you going to do with Montes wet?
1:06:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Are you going to restructure?
1:06:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Are you going to trade him?
1:06:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Because spending, oh, what are you going to have to pay Hendricks in 35 million a year?
1:07:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Spending 60 million a year on two edges, especially with O'Dangbo's 16, 17 million sitting there right now too, like that the bears have to fiddle with some things here.
1:07:13
[SPEAKER_01]: So,
1:07:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Sussanic, I can't say for sure anything on Trey Hendrickson, but I have her DL's the focus and if DL's the focus, the bears are absolutely going to look at Crosby and Hendrickson, but I've also heard that the Bengals may put the franchise tag on Hendrickson once again and be looking to move him for a draft pick.
1:07:34
[SPEAKER_01]: So it may not just be that Hendrickson just signs for free and
1:07:39
[SPEAKER_01]: they may tag him and then try and trade him.
1:07:41
[SPEAKER_01]: So you may have to give up and they're not, you know, they're not going to keep them.
1:07:44
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's not like they can ask for a first round pick, but you might be able to get a second or a third round pick because people need edges.
1:07:51
[SPEAKER_01]: So they might just do that Adrian.
1:07:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, the bear shift their strategy on acquisition of defensive personnel, dio and grady Jared signings look like a bad return.
1:08:02
[SPEAKER_01]: They need to look at pass rush win rate and chase proven production.
1:08:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, Adrian Dennis Allen, like we I love Dennis Allen.
1:08:10
[SPEAKER_01]: But if we're going to be honest, and we look at Dennis Allen's guys that he's picked over the defensive line in the past with New Orleans.
1:08:18
[SPEAKER_01]: It hasn't been great.
1:08:20
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's going to be interesting how they approach that.
1:08:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's a fair question.
1:08:26
[SPEAKER_01]: How are they going to look at this?
1:08:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Is it going to be overly analytical?
1:08:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Is it going to be past production?
1:08:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I think we're going to see them draft a couple guys.
1:08:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Obviously they got Schermar Turner that they're going to hope is going to be more of an impact for player.
1:08:38
[SPEAKER_01]: You still got another year of Dexter.
1:08:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I think there's no chance Andrew Billings is back.
1:08:42
[SPEAKER_01]: So what is this going to look like?
1:08:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Is Grady Jericho going to be back?
1:08:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Like how many guys do they need to add to the defense of wine?
1:08:48
[SPEAKER_01]: You're going to have, what do we know right now?
1:08:50
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to have sweat.
1:08:52
[SPEAKER_01]: If they don't trade him, because they're not going to cut mountains, sweat is too good.
1:08:55
[SPEAKER_01]: They don't trade sweat.
1:08:56
[SPEAKER_01]: You've got sweat.
1:08:57
[SPEAKER_01]: You've got Javon Dexter.
1:08:58
[SPEAKER_01]: You've got Austin Booker.
1:08:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Can you guarantee anyone else is going to be back right now?
1:09:02
[SPEAKER_01]: That's just three guys.
1:09:03
[SPEAKER_01]: So they need, if that's the case, they need at least three guys.
1:09:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Probably a first-run pick if not a first-run pick a second-run pick.
1:09:09
[SPEAKER_01]: invested into the defensive line, probably a day three pick invested into the defensive line, probably two free agents, you know, or trade, one high level, one mid-level guy, probably going to see a lot of change, but how will the bears look at it, you know, in terms of who they're signing?
1:09:25
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, that, that I don't know, I haven't been in the room with Dennis Allen and Ryan Pulse.
1:09:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Betsy Tar, since Aussie is essentially going to miss the entire season, do you think we'll draft a left tackle?
1:09:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I would prefer they not as we need all our picks for D and hopefully Aussie will return.
1:09:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Betsy and I wrote a column about this.
1:09:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't really talk about it in the opening segment because I was way too long with that.
1:09:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I think we went 35 minutes.
1:09:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I thought I was going to go back 20 to 25.
1:09:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Oops.
1:09:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess I like to hear myself talk.
1:09:56
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they're going to try and do left tackle on the cheap.
1:09:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, because I still think they have to see if Aussie Trapillo, look, this, the way I've heard this knee injury can be bad, like Trapillo may never fully recover.
1:10:10
[SPEAKER_01]: It gets, it's a bad injury.
1:10:12
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think the bear should just assume Trapillo is out next year and if he comes back in November December, great.
1:10:17
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think they should assume they're not going to get anything from him next year.
1:10:21
[SPEAKER_01]: based on the playoff move movement tuning outside, they are not going to look at the offended as the left tackle.
1:10:27
[SPEAKER_01]: They could sign Braxton Jones on the cheap, because if they're going to keep offended, which they did with the signing, offended it needs to move inside.
1:10:35
[SPEAKER_01]: He needs to be a guard.
1:10:37
[SPEAKER_01]: So, if they're going to move Benadinside, I think that's a smart move, could Braxton Jones but your swing tackle, I haven't heard one person mention Koranama Gadji's name in months, like he is not on the radar.
1:10:49
[SPEAKER_01]: I assume he'll be part of the 90-man roster next year, because why not?
1:10:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe he figures things out, but I think we should assume nothing for Amagaji.
1:10:56
[SPEAKER_01]: I think we should assume Trepello's going to miss the year and that Benadins move an inside.
1:11:01
[SPEAKER_01]: So if that's the case, they have no tackles on the roster other than Darnel, right?
1:11:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Braxon Jones, maybe sign him for $3 million, maybe he's just win tackle.
1:11:08
[SPEAKER_01]: You could have him compete for the starting job, because I don't think Braxon Jones is going to get much of an offer based on what happened to him this last season.
1:11:17
[SPEAKER_01]: The other thing I have heard is Joe Tune bumping out to left tackle for the season.
1:11:22
[SPEAKER_01]: I've heard it's a lot easier to find a guard to replace than a tackle.
1:11:26
[SPEAKER_01]: You've got Tony on the roster, they might have to be like Joe, you're going to have to be a team player and play tackle.
1:11:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if that's going to be the case, but I don't think the bears are going to invest in a left tackle, really at all Betsy, I think they're going to try and maneuver and figure things out.
1:11:40
[SPEAKER_01]: We've got JT Barsec.
1:11:41
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're doing your bears' mock-off season leading into the draft, who is cut restructured, traded, or extended, I would not touch the Jared Dio or DJ contract,
1:11:52
[SPEAKER_01]: J.T.
1:11:53
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to just say it's too early for me to do a mock off season.
1:11:57
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll probably do one closer to free agency.
1:12:00
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I expect to have people on that can talk about free agency and the draft.
1:12:04
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll do that with them as well.
1:12:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I think overall, though, with the three names you bring up, I think I agree in terms of pushing money down the road.
1:12:15
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that may happen with DJ for the points I laid out in the opening segment that I don't know if they're gonna be able to find a suitor if they wanna trade him to take on that contract.
1:12:24
[SPEAKER_01]: We will see.
1:12:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Dial, I think injury settlement, they're gonna try and do that.
1:12:29
[SPEAKER_01]: If not, we will see, because you can't expect anything for him.
1:12:32
[SPEAKER_01]: And you are right.
1:12:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Dial has no guaranteed money in 2027, and he's not gonna be on the roster.
1:12:36
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that's that.
1:12:38
[SPEAKER_01]: And Jarrett, I would tend to agree with you and less the bear's really think that he was simply injured.
1:12:45
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's not an issue that Jarrett will be better in 2026 because he was.
1:12:49
[SPEAKER_01]: He was banged up for like two months.
1:12:51
[SPEAKER_01]: He was dealing with a knee.
1:12:52
[SPEAKER_01]: He was barely practicing.
1:12:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, he's at the age where that certainly could happen again.
1:12:57
[SPEAKER_01]: There's no guarantee that's going to work out well for them.
1:13:01
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think
1:13:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Bottom line here is we're going to see massive overhaul on the defensive line.
1:13:07
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, again, dexter's cheap.
1:13:09
[SPEAKER_01]: So you're going to keep dexter bookers cheap.
1:13:11
[SPEAKER_01]: You're going to keep booker.
1:13:12
[SPEAKER_01]: And they should obviously Montes wet is productive enough to keep.
1:13:18
[SPEAKER_01]: But not if you want to invest more money.
1:13:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you restructure that deal and push the money down the road.
1:13:23
[SPEAKER_01]: That I could see happening.
1:13:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Because he's not wildly expensive.
1:13:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Like 25 million restructured a little bit.
1:13:29
[SPEAKER_01]: get him in the upper teams.
1:13:31
[SPEAKER_01]: That's not a bad deal for Montez sweat in his production.
1:13:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Especially if he's your second best defensive lineman, then he becomes really valuable.
1:13:41
[SPEAKER_01]: So I would agree with you, JT, not to touch those contracts.
1:13:46
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think they're going to do it with Jared, but I think they could trade him if they find a partner like I said, I think it's 10 million or 11 million dollars for an incoming team.
1:13:54
[SPEAKER_01]: That's not a bad, a greatie, Jared number, Odango, see if they can get him off the roster for this season and DJ more like I said, that is going to be.
1:14:06
[SPEAKER_01]: an interesting situation this off season.
1:14:11
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, that's going to do it for bears banter.
1:14:14
[SPEAKER_01]: We will not be back this upcoming week.
1:14:18
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that and most of you this this came out on Friday.
1:14:20
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you're talking, listen in this, I'm money Tuesday Wednesday.
1:14:23
[SPEAKER_01]: We're not going to have another podcast for this week.
1:14:25
[SPEAKER_01]: But I'm hoping to have one for the following week.
1:14:28
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm hoping that's going to be Courtney Cronin.
1:14:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I've got a touch base with her.
1:14:31
[SPEAKER_01]: She was supposed to come on before the Super Bowl.
1:14:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Our schedules didn't end up working out.
1:14:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Then I went out to San Francisco.
1:14:38
[SPEAKER_01]: And I had stuff going on.
1:14:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if it was vacation.
1:14:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember what it was.
1:14:42
[SPEAKER_01]: She had stuff going on this week.
1:14:44
[SPEAKER_01]: So we move in and I'm on vacation next week.
1:14:47
[SPEAKER_01]: So again, your paths don't work out.
1:14:50
[SPEAKER_01]: And then suddenly three weeks in a row of things don't work out.
1:14:52
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think Courtney Cronin's going to be the next guest.
1:14:55
[SPEAKER_01]: And like I said, hoping for Brad Biggs, hoping for some other people throughout this off-season, just have to work on coordinating that with those people.
1:15:04
[SPEAKER_01]: But that's gonna do it for this Bears Manager.
1:15:06
[SPEAKER_01]: We will talk to you again soon.
1:15:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Bear it out, everybody.